Testimony on the Farmworker Fair Labor Practices Act at a regional Joint Hearing of the NYS Senate Standing Committee on Agriculture and Senate Standing Committee on Labor Presented by Shannon Kelly...

Get your whole parish on the Network by conducting a sign-up campaign...

The most effective tool we have to influence our legislators is the Catholic Action Network. The Network was established by the Bishops of New York State to provide Catholics with a modern, effective way to contact their representatives about issues of concern to the Church. It uses the convenience of email to alert you of important issues that are before our State Legislature, and lets you lobby your legislators from your own home, with just a few clicks of the computer mouse.

Here is a link to a page of resources on the NYSCC website regarding the issue of Physician Assisted Suicide, including an Action Alert, a bulletin insert, a flyer, and a concise Issue in Brief.

Abortion Expansion - Information & Flyer

One of the legislators' top priorities for 2019 is Abortion Expansion - which is expected to pass and be signed into law on January 22, 2019 - the 46th Anniversary of Roe v. Wade.

The “Reproductive Health Act” (RHA) was signed into law on January 22, 2019, and is available here.

Proponents of the Reproductive Health Act frequently frame it as a simple codification of Roe v Wade, saying it merely updates New York’s laws to reflect the landmark 1973 Supreme Court decision. But this is not true.

The Reproductive Health Act allows abortions for virtually any reason in the third trimester of pregnancy--when a child is viable in the womb. The bill also permits non-doctors to perform abortions, a permission Roe v. Wade never made. Additionally, the bill repeals protections that are currently in our law for babies that are accidentally born alive during an abortion, and it removes abortion from the state’s penal code, which closes a criminal avenue to pursue if a baby dies in the womb through an act of domestic violence or another crime.

Additionally, this law has language that seems to be a direct threat to pro-life pregnancy centers and health facilities who offer women resources and support when choosing life for themselves and their child.

The question the RHA begs is - how is this law good for women? The truth is, it is not. While the RHA iscertainly devastating to the unborn child, it fails to protect women from manipulation, exploitation, sub-standard healthcare, and domestic violence.